32
by Flabagash
Summary: "hmpft!" growled penny as she slammed the door behind her. Really, for the smartest man she knew, Sheldon Cooper was an idiot. Follows on from 4.1. Sheldon/Penny.
1. Chapter 1

"hmpft!" growled penny as she slammed the door behind her. Really, for the smartest man she knew, Sheldon Cooper was an idiot.

After spending the best part of two hours with Sheldon and his 'date,' Penny wanted nothing more than to curl up on the sofa and watch some trashy TV. To say she hadn't enjoyed her time would be an understatement. To say what upset her was that the only proper conversation shared was regarding her being a slut would be a lie.

No, what Penny was very upset about was the fact that Sheldon thought she was a slut. Or at least he made it sound that way.

"you still have time to find number 32!" She mimicked.

'What's the deal with that!' she shrieked into her cushion. Why would he notice every guy she slept with? Every guy she brought home? Penny had always assumed her and Sheldon had quite a solid friendship, more so than ever since she'd broken up with Leonard. So it came as quite a shock to hear him say all those things, things she never even knew he thought about.

That's why she 'digged Shamy' so much. It was exciting news, Sheldon having a girlfriend... This is Sheldon we're talking about Asexual Sheldon! Or so she thought. Before now, never in her wildest dreams had she imagined Sheldon as a potential partner for anyone, let alone herself. Sometimes, in the cheesecake factory, when the work was slow, she would imagine her life if she had stayed with Leonard, gone out with Raj, even Howard (although those what-ifs were suppressed as soon as they formed.) Knowing Sheldon had the capacity for a girlfriend... well, this changed things she thought.

But, before Penny got carried away, she had to remind herself of the exchanges between Sheldon and Amy. They weren't exactly boyfriend and girlfriend. They barely spoke and neither of them had any interest in sex (well, that wasn't true – Amy defiantly seemed interested in sex. Just not with a partner.)

Sheldon on the other hand... well, he'd never even had a girlfriend. Penny safely assumed he was a virgin and this surprised her. Not because she thought he must have had sex before, just because she never considered it.

A virgin who doesn't even want to have sex. Not even to try it.

Suddenly Penny's mind filled with images of Sheldon kissing, Sheldon caressing, Sheldon having sex. The thoughts appealed to her more than she ever thought that they would. Soon, the thoughts turned to Sheldon kissing _her._ And before she could stop herself, she was stood up and marching across the hall.

"Thirty two... I'll show you thirty two!"

She strode through the living room where Leonard was on the phone. He didn't bat an eyelid at her.

Once she was outside Sheldon's door, she stopped. She raised her hand to knock (...Sheldon...Sheldon...Sheldon) but she stopped herself. She opened the door and Sheldon gaped at her.

"You're in my room. People aren't supposed to be in my room." He was wearing flannel pyjamas and stood in the middle of his room.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So what's the deal with you and Amy?" Penny had to know.

"Well, if you are inquiring regarding our plans to conceive a child in vitro, they have been suspended indefinably."

"Oh," mouthed Penny silently. This was good. This was very good. She didn't like the thought of Sheldon and girl!Sheldon raising a baby together. What a childhood this poor kid would have! "Well, is she still your girlfriend?"

"I thought I made it quite clear to you that Amy never was my girlfriend," Replied Sheldon.

"But didn't you take her on a date?"

"A date of sorts, but it was merely a preliminary to fertilization. There was no romantic component focused towards her, ergo, I still don't see her as my girlfriend."

"Do you want a girlfriend?"

"While I must express great joy in the fact you are asking me questions, Penny, I fear they are not of the right subject. And it's past my bed time."

"Ok, ok, but answer my question. Do you want a girlfriend? Or does kissing and hugging and sex and all that mean nothing to you what so ever? What's your deal!" All the questions Penny had always wanted to ask Sheldon, but never had the right opportunity to, bubbled to the surface. In all fairness, she didn't think even this was the right opportunity, but it was as good as any.

Sheldon looked at her for a moment, thinking for a suitable reply but none came. If she thought it was possible, Penny could have sword a faint blush appeared on Sheldon's cheeks.

"I- I-I..."he stammered. But before he had time to add a verb, Penny had lunged forward and her lips were on his.

Her hands came to his cheeks, keeping his mouth steady and she tiptoed to reach him. The motion caused her to fall off balance, and before she knew it, she was leaning on him.

Instinctively, his hands grabbed her shoulders. Although, Penny thought, it wasn't a romantic gesture, it was an 'I don't want you to fall in my room and break your neck; that would really interrupt my sleep schedule' gesture.

Nevertheless, Sheldon did nothing to break the kiss so Penny moved on. While before, it had been and awkward pressing of lips, Penny now opened her mouth ever so slightly and waited for Sheldon to copy her. Soon, the uncomfortable kiss became a somewhat clumsy but at least enjoyable kiss. Moving one had to his shoulder, to give her leverage; she stood up more so that she could deepen the kiss. Before long, her tongue passed his lips and she stroked the roof of his mouth, she grazed his teeth. He did nothing to reciprocate the action, but she went ahead until her tongue was moving against Sheldon's.

'_Holy Frick!' _she thought, 'I'm kissing Sheldon.'

She pulled back as quickly as she started the kiss and his eyes met hers looking somewhat confused.

"Um... well..." Muttered Penny; she was sad to have lost contact with the Physicist.

"It may come as no surprised to you, Penny, but that was my... as pop culture would refer to it... 'first kiss."

No, Penny was not surprised, but she did feel rather proud.

"However," he continued, "What I find truly fascinating, is that all signs would dictate... I enjoyed it."

Penny's face suddenly broke into a huge grin, "Really?"

"Well, yes, I can note a definite increase in heart rate and blood pressure. And the feeling of a euphoria that one can only assume comes from the release of hormones such as-"

"Sheldon, sweetie, I'm going to stop you right there. If you really enjoyed it, surely you know the logical thing to do next."

Sheldon kissed her.

**What other penny shippers saw Sheldon, Penny and Amy on the date and wished they could crop the right had third out of the screen?**

**I just watched the ep an hour of so ago, and I had to write this straight away!**

**More will be up asap – let me know what you thought though, I'm not sure I got the voices terribly well and any con-crit would be love so I can work on it in the following chapters :D**

**Thanks for reading ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

For his first time initiating a kiss, Penny had to admit, Sheldon didn't do too bad. Sure, he wasn't great but with some practice... Penny found herself thinking she wouldn't mind giving him as much practice as he needed.

As it turns out, Sheldon is a fast learner. He was tentative at first, and Penny thought it was ironic how this all-knowing brain-box in front of her seemed to doubt himself. But before long, he was copying her earlier actions, moving his tongue to brush her lips to which she instantly gave him entrance to her mouth.

To Sheldon, it was all an exact science. He was no expert in biology (although his knowledge of the field exceeded that of over 99.9% of the population.) But it was clear to him, kissing was merely the art of stimulating numerous sensitive nerve endings and triggering the release of hormones humans associated with love. To heighten the sensation, Sheldon took the initiative to move his hands to Penny's back, which was rewarded with a small yelp of surprise from Penny who in turn moved and pressed herself against him. Her hands found themselves running up and down his neck and along his shoulders. Sheldon shivered at the new sensations that were bubbling inside of him. This was like nothing he had experience before and the deeper the kiss went, the harder he found it to keep his calculating mind active.

Pressing into Sheldon further, Penny managed to manoeuvre him back so that his calves touched the edge of his bed. Taking a more active role in the kiss Sheldon started, with her hands pressed to his shoulders, Penny pushed him on the bed before falling on top of him.

Sheldon gave her a look with a flash of worry; she didn't want to push him too far, but with a curt nod he signalled for her to continue. And Penny did. She kissed his mouth, his jaw, his neck.

And it confused and alarmed Sheldon that he enjoyed every second.

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"We came over as soon as we could!" panted Howard as he and Raj burst through the door to Leonard's apartment. "What's so urgent?"

Leonard looked uneasy. "Penny came in here earlier, I don't know why but she ran into Sheldon's room. That was half an hour ago and she hasn't been out since!"

Raj and Howard shared a quizzical look before Raj spoke.

"Dude, this is Sheldon. What do you think is happening?"

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"So, do we prepare to engage in coitus now?"

"Easy tiger!" teased Penny, easing back from Sheldon. "I don't care what your maths says... I am not a slut. You have to at least buy me dinner first!"

"I have bought you dinner. I do so most weeks in fact. I don't recall you once paying me back for the numerous portions of chow mien you've ingested in our apartment."

"That is not what I meant!" scoffed Penny, scooting over to the other side of the bed and leaning her back against the headrest. "I meant a date, Sheldon. I'm asking you out on a date."

Penny couldn't believe the words we coming out of her mouth. She never, in a million years, could have foreseen her wanting to date Sheldon Cooper. There was nothing wrong with him, he wasn't mean or stupid or dull (qualities, one of which all of her previous boyfriends had possessed) and although he wasn't conventionally handsome, there was defiantly an attractive quality about him. More than being shocked at wanting to date Sheldon, Penny was keen to see if Sheldon wanted to date her.

"Right, ok. I believe it is customary for me to offer to pick you up at eight. But as I have no access to a vehicle, it might be appropriate for us to come to some other arrangement."

**A shorter chapter, but I wanted to leave it there!**

**This way, I can put in a fix it of the date with no Amy! :D**

**Thanks for reading **


	3. Chapter 3

Sheldon Cooper was left alone in his room.

Penny had returned to her own apartment over an hour ago, and ever since, all Sheldon was able to do was lie in bed and think. And think and think and think.

Ever since he perfected his sleep schedule, he had easily found himself in deep REM within 34 minutes of lying down. Tonight, sleep evaded him and the cause: Penny.

And Sheldon wanted to sleep. He just couldn't. And this scared him.

_What if I never get a good night's sleep again? What if I can't sleep because I only think about Penny. I'll just be another Leonard, following erroneous hypothesis after hypothesis leaving my conquest of Physics and my aspiration for the Nobel Prize for... for what? For Penny?_

He'd already deduced she was aesthetically attractive, and he knew he found her presence calming. But did he wasn't to add a romantic aspect to their relationship? What was the point? If all it would achieve would be to distract him, make him lose sleep and succumb to the basic human instincts.

'I _am_ Homo Novus!" he reminded himself. Concluding that he would wait until morning, then tell Penny her date was off, Sheldon finally fell into what would be a very restless sleep.

* * *

Leonard, Raj and Howard's mouths simultaneously gaped open when they saw penny walk – no skip! – out of Sheldon's room no sooner than an hour after she walked in earlier that evening.

"G'night boys!" She called behind her, oblivious to their shocked faces, as she made her way back into her own room. She was far too pleased with herself to notice. After all, she, Penny, had done the un-doable – she kissed Sheldon Cooper. And most importantly, Sheldon Cooper kissed her back.

She found it weird how excited she was about the idea of going on a date with him. After all, before that evening, she never considered it. But now... now she couldn't help but fantasise what tomorrow would bring. Would it be the dream first date? Probably not... but would he use that great, calculating mind of his to plan the perfect evening? Or would he show the same social ineptness he normally exhibited...Only time would tell, and with that, Penny went to bed and fell into a dreamy slumber.

* * *

"Now do you believe me something's up!" cried Leonard frantically.

"Let's look at this logically..." began Howard, "you and I, and even Raj, have had our shot at Penny over the last three years. What are the chances of Sheldon having a shot with her!"

"Hey! I had a shot with Penny..." protested Leonard.

"Yeah, and you blew it. If _you_ couldn't manage dating her... how the hell could Sheldon!"

"Hm, I don't know..." Muttered Raj. "I mean, y'know opposites attract and all that. Penny – pretty, funny, nice... and Sheldon's... Sheldon? You're right, Howard. This would never work."

"Exactly," finished Howard. "It's probably nothing. It's probably your mind missing Penny and coming up with all sorts of crazy stuff! You know what we should do? I just heard about this new bar..."

* * *

**Very short sorry! but i had to write something after watching the next ep tonight... next chapter is in the works! Will be up tomorrow (maybe later to night!)  
**

**But as for the most resent ep... 'soft kitty' awww, i reckon there's more sheldon/penny so far in this series! It's possible...  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Sheldon woke up with a start and a problem. It was a problem that hadn't fazed him since he was 16 years old and he did not take kindly to his struggle at suppressing his libido post-puberty being in vain. While teenage Sheldon's peers were ruled by their short lived romantic entanglements, he ruled out the possibility of such ideas as nonsense and focused on Physics.

That left him terribly unprepared when he woke up, at precisely 6.15, greeted by an impressive morning erection.

"Penny!" he hissed, rummaging for his laptop on which he promptly googled what to do in his situation.

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"Morning Sweetie!" smiled Penny as she stepped out of her front door to find Sheldon hovering in the hallway, looking rather pink around the ears.

"Penny, I'm afraid it has come to my realisation that-"

She shut him up with a very chaste kiss on the lips. _That's one bonus to dating Sheldon Cooper_, she thought. _I can shut him up whenever I want!_

Sheldon looked back at her in awe. She had completely ruined his train of thought... that wasn't supposed to happen! Penny, she hadn't evening finished community college, how could she leave the great Sheldon Cooper speechless!

"Sorry, Sheldon, but I'm late for work. Again. And yesterday, they told me that was my final warning. Again. So, I gotta run! But see you tonight, 'kay?" And with that, she ran down the flight of stairs leaving Sheldon staring were she last stood.

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Sheldon got into work at precisely 8.15, just as he always did. By 8.30 he was in the canteen ready to eat a fibrous breakfast and he also hoped to speak with someone, namely Howard Wolowitz.

Sheldon didn't often make acquaintance with Howard out of choice; he regarded him as the lowliest of his associates, however today, Sheldon thought of a use of Howard. He was perhaps, in this one, sole instance, more knowledgeable in a field than Sheldon himself; Howard knew more about girls.

"Howard." Sheldon nodded as he sat down next to the man himself. He looked tired and ruffled. _Post-effects of a night of excessive alcohol consumption_ thought Sheldon, noting his appearance in distaste.

"Sheldon, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, it would appear I have come to ask you for...advice?"

"The great Sheldon Cooper wants advice from me? Must I remind you, I don't even have a PhD?"

"I know, and it pains me, but the area in which I need your help in lies outside the fields of Physics. I need to ask you about... a girl."

Howard spat out his orange juice comically and coughed.

"Right, okay... well, what is it?" Howard was in shock. _Found another member of your species? _He thought to himself.

"It's come to my attention that there is a girl whom I think about so frequently it's been starting to interfere with my work. And she proposed adding a romantic component to our relationship which, while at first seemed preferable, now I find it would be detrimental to the future of human knowledge."

"Ok... well first, if a girl _any girl _is interested in you.My advice: go for it! Seriously... it's not like they come along very often. Is she hot? Has she got a sister? Or a slightly needy best friend?"

"Goodbye, Howard," Muttered Sheldon. He'd get advice elsewhere. Leaving his cereal behind him, he stood up and left the dining hall.

Howard called after him: "I don't care if she's fat!"

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'_Dare I ask Leonard about Penny?' _pondered Sheldon, sat at his desk. Leonard was the most highly cherished member of Sheldon's inner circle; the Wolverine to his C-men if you will. Now, normally Sheldon wouldn't have thought of an issue with asking Leonard romantic advice about his ex-girlfriend. But time with Penny had taught Sheldon some social niceties. _She's already starting to effect my brain_! Panicked Sheldon, beginning to breathe heavily and hyperventilate.

"Dude, what's up?" called Raj, walking into the office which he and Sheldon shared.

"I – I – I... Can I ask you something Raj?"

"suuure..." Raj replied, concerned by Sheldon's demeanour.

"Well, I am aware that when it comes to women you have some deep routed, psychological issues that I fear the brightest minds in neuro-biology would have time unravelling-"

"Get to your point, Sheldon..."

"Yes, very well. There's a woman whom I am finding myself thinking of constantly. It's preventing me from sleep, evening eating. And my work is at jeopardy! Indeed, I just can't be doing with the distraction she provides if I were to agree to her proposition of a amorous relationship and-"

"Wait – she asked you out?"

"Yes... well no, maybe it was I who asked... no, I'm a bit unclear of the details. She was on top of me at the time, you see..."

"She was... And this girl, Sheldon, when she was 'on top of you,' what did you think?"

"Hm, well I won't deny there were defiantly some biological indicators of positive reactions on my account... and I like P- _her _a lot. But that's neither here nor there... regardless of me feelings, it will prove detrimental to my work!"

_Wow_ thought Raj. _This is a turn up for the books. Sheldon Cooper is in love, so it seems. Well he must be, _rationalised Raj,_ girls have shown interest in him in the past, attractive girls, and he's never reacted like this. He never reacted at all! But now... well, Sheldon genuinely seems in turmoil about this. What sort of friend would Raj be if he allowed Sheldon to let this opportunity pass him by?_

"Seriously, Sheldon. Sheldon Cooper; most brilliant scientific mind of our age! You're worried that you'll be put off your work by... a girl? Come on, if Leonard could publish that paper on Bose-Einstein condensates while dating Stephanie, surely a man of your great, superior intellect, can achieve better!"

"Well yes..." concurred Sheldon, "I could. But the matter remains that I could be doing _more_ if I wasn't involved with this girl!"

"Well, I've read people in relationships show higher levels of Dopamine in the blood which controls the flow of information around areas of the brain. It could help your work..."

"Yes, yes Raj, you're right." The words tasted bitter in Sheldon's mouth, but he found himself willing to agree with Raj. This way, he could go on the date with Penny and not feel guilty for disregarding his high ambitions. "I will go on a date with this girl, as planned."

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**Ok, I have no knowledge of the X-men, I just googled to find about Wolverine. If he's not the best x-men, I'm sorry! I tried!**

**Also, I do love Raj. Even though he's a man slag when drunk, I reckon he's very insightful in his silence!**

**Now for the date! Where do you think Sheldon will take Penny? Any suggestions/ideas?**

**Thanks for reading ****  
**


	5. Chapter 5

Penny stood by her door at exactly one minute to eight.

'_And three...two...one... _Right on time,'

Knock, knock, knock, 'Penny!"

Knock, knock, knock, 'Penny!"

Knock, knock, knock, 'Penny!"

"Hi there!" she greeted, swinging open the door and welcoming in Sheldon, her date. Her date, Sheldon.

_Nope, no matter how many times I say it... still seems weird!_ Thought Penny. _Good weird,_ she added.

Sheldon walked into her apartment wearing dark grey jeans and a powder blue shirt. He even donned a navy tie, more miraculously though; it didn't have any super hero motives on it. His hair was impeccable as always, but penny noticed ample amounts of product combed through it. All in all, she thought he was looking very stylish and normal and distinctly un-Sheldon. Not to mention he looked uncomfortable.

"You look attractive." He stated more as a fact than a compliment. Somehow, rather than feeling flattered, Penny found it a bit uneasy.

Nevertheless, "thanks, sweetie. You look nice too! So did you decide what we're doing tonight?"

"I have, I thought it would be appropriate to suggest we see a romantic-comedy and then I take you for a meal." answered Sheldon, looking somewhat nervous.

"right, well okay – what time's the film?"

Sheldon had painstakingly researched what films were playing in the local cinemas that fitted the genre of romantic comedy. He looked up their rating and reviews on the internet and compiled a database cross referencing their good and bad factors. Ultimately, the film he chose was playing in three cinemas, only one of which served his favourite confectionaries. Sheldon was prepared to try and be a gentleman... but not at the expense of his sweets.

"8.25," he answered, "and I've booked us a taxi." The man was supposed to arrange the transport after all. "Shall we go?"

_Taxi...flashy,_ she thought, as he ushered her down the stairwell.

"So, what science-y stuff did you do today?" Penny asked, for once looking forward to a long spiel about physics and what not. Instead she got:

"No, Penny, what did _you _do at work today? How was the cheesecake factory?" _After all, _thought Sheldon, _ a date wasn't supposed to talk all about themselves._

"Oh, um, well you know, same old, same old – I got a lot of extra tips today though!"

"Well you should, you're a very good waitress." _Compliment your date as much as possible,_ thought Sheldon.

"Thanks..." Penny replied, praying small mercies that she could see the movie theatre at the end of the road.

Once they walked inside, Sheldon purchased their tickets and offered to buy Penny some popcorn. _The man was supposed to pay, _he told himself. _Although, I think I've been paying for things for Penny much longer than this 'dating' thing came around..._

"Thanks!" said Penny, munching on some butter popcorn. Maybe this date could turn around...

Sadly, it didn't.

After many awkward and forced conversations, the movie began. It was one hour into the film, they'd been on this disaster of a 'date,' for lack of a better word slightly longer than that, when it happened. As far as Penny was concerned, it was the final straw.

"Hmmmfff," yawned Sheldon, as he precisely and exaggeratedly raised the arm closest to Penny before draping it precisely around her shoulder.

"Right! That's it! I've had enough!" she exclaimed, forgetting she was in the movie theatre and standing up before marching towards the exit.

Like a kicked puppy, Sheldon followed her out.

The pair stood face to face outside in the street.

"Seriously, Sheldon, what _was_ that!" she cried.

"That-that was a date...I thought you wanted to go on a date... with me." Mumbled Sheldon.

"Oh sweetie, I did, I wanted a date _with you._ That wasn't you... I don't know who that guy was but he wasn't the geeky, funny, smart adorable guy I live across the hall from!"

Completely oblivious to any compliment she paid him, "But- I, that's what you're supposed to do on a first date..."

"Said who?" scolded Penny. This dating Sheldon thing was proving hard work.

"Wiki-how..." sighed Sheldon.

"Sheldon, look, listen to me. What just happened back there... that wasn't the date I wanted. That's the sort of date I'd expect from every tom, dick and harry I'd normally date. But it was plenty obvious you weren't enjoying yourself. You weren't being yourself at all. That wasn't what a date with Sheldon should be like..."

"Then what should it have been like?" he asked, feeling slightly exasperated.

"Well... something _you_ wanted to do. Not something you felt you had to. Come on, let's go home – we can walk – and try this again tomorrow. Something you like. We both like."

Penny and Sheldon walked back slowly, enjoying each other's company. He talked nonsense about Physics and science that she didn't really understand but enjoyed hearing him explain so passionately. And in turn, Sheldon found hearing Penny's gossip about her friends and co-workers refreshing and relaxing.

Somewhere along the way, Sheldon reached and wrapped his hand around hers.

It was the best part of the date.

And when they got back to their hallway, Penny tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good night, Sheldon." She almost whispered in his ear before turning away.

"See you tomorrow, at eight!" he replied, knowing exactly what they were going to do.

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As Sheldon made it into his own apartment, feeling relived and foolish in equal measures, Leonard has _just_ made it to the sofa from where he had previously been standing, right next to the door, looking from the peephole.

And as he was looking through the peephole, he clearly saw Penny, his ex-girlfriend Penny, kissing Sheldon, his best friend. Ouch.

"Hey, Buddy!" Leonard greeted, falsely cheerful, as Sheldon made to sit in 'his spot,' and watch the TV for a few hours before bed; he returned to his date earlier than intended.

"How was your evening?" He prompted.

"I – was on a date." Sheldon answered honestly; what was the point in lying?

"A date you say? With who?"

"Penny." Sheldon replied simply, but to Leonard, it felt like a punch in the gut.

"Right... okay..."

"Leonard, I am aware that there are some social taboos regarding the 'best friend's ex,' however, if it makes it better, I didn't think of you at all when Penny kissed me."

"What- what on earth, Sheldon! How is that Better?"

"I mean to say... at the time, I didn't even think anything was wrong. And it only happened yesterday. And I like Penny a lot. Don't be angry..." he pleaded, "Why did it not occur to me to put instances such as this in the roommate agreement!" He sighed, knowing the answer – he didn't know Penny when the contract was written.

"Sheldon... look, I'm not angry. Really I'm not. Yes, you should have told me... but it's fine. Really, it's fine. Just... just don't screw it up, like I did."

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**I'm not a fan of Leonard... never really have been. But I tried really hard to make him in-character and nice here. (it would have been oh so easy to make him an insane, jealous and evil horrible person... but I didn't! )**

**Hope it came off okay!**

**And, I hoped you thought the date was okay... well it wasn't okay, it was a disaster. But I'm giving you two first dates so that's a good thing!...right? **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Review? **


	6. Chapter 6

Penny had had a very long, tiring day at the cheesecake factory: two waitresses called in sick, so she had to cover their shifts; a kid had thrown a milkshake across the restaurant and there were far too many stingy tippers.

And to top it off, Penny had somewhere she'd much rather be. On her Date. With Sheldon!

"Why are you so happy?" asked Bernadette as she tried to pick dried ketchup off her apron.

"Oh, nothing," Penny feigned, but she couldn't help but to smile. She'd been smiling a lot the last couple days.

"You've met someone." Bernadette stated, reading her friend's expression easily.

"Well, not exactly..."

"But it's defiantly a guy, right?"

Penny nodded, barely concealing her excitement.

"Ooooh, Penny! Tell me everything! Is it someone I know?"

"Um, kinda..." Penny went on to tell her friend everything. After all, she was dying to tell someone!

After, Bernadette was shocked to say the least. But she figured, at least now her boyfriend would come across relatively normal in comparison.

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Raj, Howard, Leonard and Sheldon were sat in the canteen, just about to start their lunch.

Nobody spoke.

The metaphorical elephant was currently in the room and although Leonard, Raj and Howard were dying to mention it, none knew how to bring it up. Sheldon remained perfectly oblivious to any large African or Asian land mammals in the vicinity and began happily eating his hotdog.

Quite expectantly, it was Howard who cracked first. "How the _hell _did you pull Penny?"

At the mention of her name, Sheldon's ears pricked up and he looked away from his tray to find three pairs of eyes staring at him.

"I think what Wolowitz is _trying _to ask," translated Leonard, "Is how did you get Penny to agree to go on a date with you?"

"Oh, well I didn't." answered Sheldon honestly to three confused faces. "She asked me out on a date and after weighing up the pros and cons, I agreed."

Sheldon was answered with three simultaneous questions from his friends:

"You are freakin' kidding me! How far'd you get with her?"

"Is Penny who you were asking about the other day?"

"Where did you go with her?"

"No, Wolowitz, I am not 'freaking kidding you.' And I am under the impression it is ungentlemanly to 'kiss and tell.' Yes, Raj, I was unsure whether to proceed with the date so I came to you and Howard, seeking advice as I felt you were more informed than me. Sadly I was wrong and thought too highly of you. And finally, we went out for a meal but that date was inadequate."

"Inadequate? What do you mean?" asked Leonard. He could relate to having an unsuccessful first date with Penny.

"Well, apparently a date has to be someone you both enjoy. I've arranged to go out with her again this evening. However, I may need your help to pull it off."

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She had just stepped out of the shower, washing off a long day at work, when Penny heard a knock at her door.

Odd, she thought, her date wasn't until 7.00 and Sheldon wasn't one to be an hour early. So she shrugged on her bath robe and went to open the door, not knowing who to expect.

Or rather, what to expect. At first, she saw nothing: _prank callers_ she grumbled. But then, she looked down. At her feet was a large silver gift bag, spilling over with pink tissue paper.

With one more look around the hall, hoping to catch a glimpse of who left the gift, she turned inside, gift bag in hand.

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In 4A, Sheldon Cooper was stood watching the hallway through the peephole.

"Did she get it?" Asked Leonard from the sofa.

"Yes, phase one is complete. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get changed myself."

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Penny opened the gift bag eagerly; tissue paper flew everywhere!

First thing she noticed at the top of the bag, was a small card. She opened it and smiled as she read.

"Penny – I'm very much looking forward to our date. Sheldon."

She figured this was his idea of some romantic note. Next, she pulled out a mass of silky, pink fabric. Only when she held it up did she notice what it was; a dress. And it was a beautiful dress at that. Penny did not have much faith in Sheldon's fashion sense – going shopping with him to buy a suit had confirmed that. However, there was no denying, this dress was stunning.

It was fitted perfectly at the top, with a slight sweetheart neckline and shoulder straps. At the waist it flicked out, held up by what seemed like hundreds of white petticoats so it flowed and twirled. In the bottom of the bag there was also a cropped purple jacket.

She rightly assumed she should wear both on her date. So she excitedly changed into them, pairing the outfit it with pink shoes and she pinned her hair up. Smiling, Penny perfected her makeup, eager to see where Sheldon was taking her.

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At precisely 7:00pm, Sheldon Cooper knocked on Penny's door.

At 7:01, Penny was complimenting Sheldon on his pinstripe suit, but feeling baffled by his decision to pair it with sneakers. He greeted her with a slightly awkward kiss on the cheek but she could tell how hard he was trying to be affectionate.

By 7:05, they were on their way. Penny still had no idea where they were heading, but she was excited to find out. There was no taxi today as from the night before Sheldon decided they both enjoyed walking.

At 7:09, half way to their destination (although, Penny did not know this) Sheldon held her hand and didn't let go until

7:14. they arrived in front of a comic book store. It wasn't Stuart's comic book store, it was a different one Penny had never seen before. It was much larger, and it looked very busy. Penny wouldn't have guessed there'd be such a rush for comic books on a Friday night. But then she looked up and saw a large banner, advertising a convention for one night only.

Sheldon had taken her to a Doctor Who convention on their 'first' date. And he even managed to trick her into dressing her as one of the characters!

"Um... Sheldon, why are we at a comic book store? Couldn't you have waited till after our date?"

"This is our date." He replied as if it was obvious.

"You thought to take me to Doctor Who fest on a date!" Penny sighed.

"I thought you said to do something we both like?"

"Yeah, but this is something you like..."

"You like it too!"

"Since wh-"

"I know you borrowed our Doctor Who box sets. I keep them in chronological order, categorised by each regeneration of The Doctor. I fully briefed Leonard of this when he signed the roommate agreement and Raj and Howard have their own copies. Since some were taken and put back out of order, I can only assume you borrowed them. And you must have liked them as the later ones were stolen more than once."

"Fine, fine! So I watched your stupid DVDs... but... but..."

"And if I'm correct, you especially enjoyed the series' with David Tennant-" he gestured to his suit "-and when you came into our apartment looking for coffee before your morning shift one Saturday morning while I was watching Doctor Who, you said, and I quote, 'That Rose Tyler is one cool chick!'"

Penny desperately wanted to argue her point, but in the end, she had to agree with Sheldon.

As hard as she tried, Penny genuinely couldn't help but think of anything wrong with this as their second first date. It wasn't a typical date, sure. But Sheldon wasn't a typical guy.

"But..." she continued, "Forget I said anything, Sweetie. This date is perfect. Thank you."

Together, they walked inside where there were hundreds of what Sheldon told Penny were called 'cos-players,' half of which were in awe of Penny's costume. "A girl... a pretty girl's here!" "what where?"

Inside, there were refreshments being sold and Sheldon brought them both something to eat (although signs told them they were to be eaten 10ft from any collectables). There were also props on loan from a larger exhibit and video clips on large screens of some of the best scenes.

In the end, Penny realised they were having a good time together, and she was defiantly enjoying herself.

Funnily enough, it was Sheldon who suggested they leave, he told her he'd made reservations for them to eat at a Sheldon-approved Italian restaurant a block away.

The date was getting better and better.

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**First thing is first – I wrote Bernadette into this chapter days before I knew she was going to be in TBBT! I was happy she came in the show again, I liked her and I was annoyed when they seemed to just forgot about her... Her and Howard are cute!**

**Also –so sorry for the delay in this chapter! It was so hard to think of the perfect date for Sheldon to come up with... And I'm sure penny would like this too, I mean, she can't hang around with the boys for 3 years and not have turned into somewhat of a big ol' geek herself!**

**For those who don't watch Doctor Who (shame on you!) But here's a picture of the outfits (no spaces):**

****http : / i41 . tinypic . com / 14cxr2q . jpg

**Well, let me know what you thought! Was the date okay? Thanks for reading **


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